08/10/2023 | News release | Distributed by Public on 08/10/2023 15:26
The 'bulk and cut' training approach used by competitive bodybuilders may soon be coming to neighbourhood gyms if Steven Kottaras (BKin '23) has his way.
Under the direction of Professor of Kinesiology Nota Klentrou, Kottaras is conducting research on the diet and training strategy through an Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) being offered by the federal government's Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
The program supports more than 3,000 undergraduate students across Canada with grants of $6,000 combined with support from the institution. Brock University has co-funded this award for 28 undergraduate students for the 2023-24 period that began earlier this year.
"The NSERC USRA grant program helps to support up and coming student researchers of the future," says Associate Vice-President, Research Deborah O'Leary. "Through active mentoring from experienced faculty, students gain a variety of skills and experiences that will help them successfully pursue a career in research."
Kottaras is in various stages of recruiting and training 15 male participants ages 30 to 45 years to see if his team's version of 'bulk and cut' will deliver similar health benefits.
The strategy involves eating more calories than are burned in order to promotes muscle gain and then consuming fewer calories to lose fat while emphasizing adequate protein intake, all while undergoing a resistance training routine.
Working with a professional trainer, Kottaras is investigating how the combined diet and training regime could be adapted to benefit the general public.
"We expect to see beneficial outcomes with respect to body composition, strength, metabolic and inflammatory markers, as well as body image and other mental health indices," says Kottaras.
"With this third USRA, Steve completed his Kinesiology degree with three journal publications and is heading to Ireland for his medical degree," says Klentrou, noting that "strong research skills are critical for the training of a new generation of clinical scientists."
With his USRA, Mitchell Ianiero (BSc '23) is in the beginning stages of a 12-week study examining how polyphenols found in rooibos tea may boost bone mineral density and bone structure in post-menopausal women.
Ianiero's study builds on earlier research by his supervisor, Professor of Kinesiology Wendy Ward, who found that bioactives called flavonoids present in rooibos tea stimulate bone cells to produce more bone mineral.
Flavonoids are a class of polyphenols, compounds found in fruits, vegetables, herbs and other plant foods that can function as antioxidants and reduce inflammation among other health benefits.
Using animal models, Ianiero is developing a method to measure levels of polyphenols and metabolites - small molecules that are the end products of metabolism - in samples to see if rooibos polyphenols can slow the loss of bone mineral and structure, conditions that lead to osteoporosis and fractures in older adults.
"I want to be a physician one day," says Ianiero, who will be continuing with Ward in a master's program this fall. "I thought that now would be the right time to get this experience doing really good research that relates to women's health."
"Mitchell is going to take these research skills into his master's and really hit the ground running," says Ward of the USRA experience. "NSERC's program furthers those critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are so important not only in research but in life."
Brock University's 2023-24 USRA recipients are: